Whenever defensive line coach Dwaine Board watched video of Virginia Tech, or other prospects that happened to be playing against the Hokies, the player he ended up focusing on was Tapp.

An undersized defensive end, and the Seahawks' second-round pick, Tapp never took a play off. Board -- and others -- couldn't say the same about North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, the first pick overall.

That's how need meshed with the Seahawks' preferred BPA (best player available) philosophy when they made the 31st and 63rd selections Saturday.

"We addressed most of our needs in the draft," club president Tim Ruskell said Sunday. "I think I can say I feel like we're an even better team than the one that lost the Super Bowl."

The additions of Jennings and Tapp were significant, providing defensive coordinator John Marshall with two more pieces for his still-improving unit.

"I can't wait to work with these guys," Marshall said. "They're almost untouchable in terms of doing things the right way."

With Jennings and Tapp, that right-way-is-the-only-way approach was across the board: On the field, in the classroom, in their personal lives.

"Which leads to consistency of play," Marshall said. "When you put on a film of these guys, you see the same guy every game. Every game."

Jennings and Tapp are far from perfect, of course. That's why they were available with the next-to-last picks in the first and second rounds.

The knock on Jennings is his weight. He's only 178 pounds. The rap with Tapp is his size. He's not quite 6 feet 2 and his weight got as low as 252 pounds at the NFL scouting combine in February.

Sound familiar? Last year, the Seahawks signed a squatty defensive tackle (Chuck Darby) and an undersized defensive end (Bryce Fisher) in free agency and then drafted a too-small, too-slow middle linebacker (Lofa Tatupu) and a compact-sized outside linebacker (Leroy Hill) in the second and third rounds.

They not only started last season, Darby, Fisher, Tatupu and Hill were leaders on a defense that improved its ranking from 26th in 2004 to 16th during the Seahawks' run to the Super Bowl.

"We have more speed on the field," Marshall said. "We have more guys that play the entire game. They sell out for the entire game."

It's a list that now includes a fast cover corner to start opposite Marcus Trufant and another relentless end to work in a rotation with Fisher and Grant Wistrom.

Asked about Jennings' weight, Ruskell sized him up this way: "Of all the corners, and I mean every one in the draft, he was the most consistent game to game."

The Seahawks would have considered either Penn State's Tamba Hali or North Carolina State's Manny Lawson with the 31st pick to satisfy their need for a pass rusher, but they went to the Kansas City Chiefs (at No. 20) and San Francisco 49ers (No. 22).

The Seahawks, however, didn't consider waiting until the second round as settling for Tapp.

"We did not think he would be there, honestly," Ruskell said.

If Jennings had not been available at 31, the Seahawks would have considered trading down to the upper portion of the second round, with Tapp the target pick.

"So it was an easy selection once we saw him there," Ruskell said.

When the subject of Tapp's height came up, Board offered, "I don't buy into the size thing. I buy into how big the guy's heart is."

Especially when those big-hearted players display it every play, play after play. Like Jennings and Tapp.